MP Dawn Butler and nearly 40 local authorities are calling for urgent changes to the Gambling Act 2005 — including deletion of the ‘aim to permit’ clause, stronger local licensing and planning powers and tougher taxation — arguing concentrated clusters of betting shops and arcades are fuelling harm in deprived…

Advisory notes from Greenwich and other councils urging neutral, non‑assumptive wording have been portrayed as bans by national outlets, prompting councils to stress the guidance is optional and part of wider equality strategies. Council staff in the Royal Borough of Greenwich have been handed an advisory inclusive-language guide that urges…

Dame Rachel de Souza called on government, regulators and platforms to close loopholes — including VPN workarounds — tighten age assurance, criminalise depictions of strangulation in porn and boost RSHE training, after research found most young people encounter explicit material accidentally, often well before their 18th birthday. Dame Rachel de…

A new certificate course — run by the GFTU Educational Trust with the Institute of Employment Rights and Birkbeck — combines practical employment‑law training with historical and political analysis to strengthen trade union activists preparing for leadership roles; applications close 12 September 2025. The General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU)…

A warm, improvised staging of Every Brilliant Thing at Soho Place transforms Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe’s intimate play into a shared, often funny encounter that asks audiences to confront depression by naming the small things that make life worth living. The West End run, with rotating performers, risks losing…

Health authorities in France and the ECDC have linked 25 confirmed listeriosis infections, including two deaths in France, to pasteurised soft cow’s‑ and goat’s‑milk cheeses produced by Chavegrand; recalls and cross‑border tracing are under way amid warnings that affected batches were exported across Europe. Twenty-five people across Europe have been…

After one of the warmest early summers on record and estimates of several hundred excess deaths in London, the Building Engineering Services Association says overheating is no longer a comfort issue but a mounting safety risk that demands changes to building standards, retrofit funding and heat‑resilient design. The Building Engineering…

The Crown Estate has appointed John Nicholson, an OBE‑winning projects executive with experience on London 2012 and senior roles at Mace and Legends, to lead delivery and programme management as the organisation shifts from planning into accelerated construction across a national pipeline and a conditional £24bn joint venture with Lendlease.…

Propertymark’s latest agent survey shows average new‑build listings are down year‑on‑year overall, with steep regional falls — notably in London and the East Midlands — as developers rely on incentives while leasehold and affordability issues deter buyers. Propertymark’s latest snapshot of new‑build instructions paints a picture of a cooling market…

A tiny top‑floor studio at Bernard Mansions, advertised for £2,295pcm with a mezzanine mattress and rooftop terrace reached by ladder, has reignited debate over what counts as a bedroom and the rise of ever‑smaller lets as landlords chase higher yields amid a housing crisis. In the heart of Bloomsbury, a…

The consultancy has appointed Mike O’Donnell as UK PMC lead, alongside Al Fernie and Jason Smith, signalling a targeted push to strengthen integrated project management, cost consultancy and construction management services across complex, capital‑intensive sectors following its recent combination with CBRE. Turner & Townsend has bolstered its UK project management…

A new planning application for the vacant 1980s Morley House at Holborn Viaduct signals a restart after nearly a decade in limbo, with Aukett Swanke replacing Eric Parry Architects to deliver a revised hotel design for StayCity’s premium Wilde operator and Altius Real Estate, alongside proposed conservation works to the…